Modern SEO is a tricky thing that involved many aspects, both technical and non-technical.
Today, we’re going to talk about a concept that usually goes overlooked in the planning stages of a new RV website, but one that if done well can have some great benefits. Let’s jump right in.
Follow the Search Engines
In today’s internet world, people are always looking for the quickest route the most relevant information they’re searching for. Google and the other search titans build their entire business models and algorithms accordingly, and that’s why we’ve seen new features come up recently in their search tools. Two prominent examples of this are suggested search terms coming up when you are typing in your search keywords and having the answers to your question immediately displayed on the results page so you don’t even have to visit another site for your answer. These two examples are pictured here below:
The whole goal of these features is to serve your information quicker. Fewer clicks, less searching, less digging… the faster the better.
So, how does this apply to RV parks?
Well, just like someone searching to buy a new BBQ Grill on-line, potential campers are searching for RV parks on their upcoming destination stops. They’re also searching for specific facilities parks might have, and things to do in the area. If you properly plan your website structure to have this information more available on the correct pages, Google and other search engines will likely rank you higher in their results.
Ranking higher in results = More exposure for your park = More Bookings
Sweet.
Just put yourself in the searching person’s shoes for a minute. Let’s say you search for “RV parks in Austin, TX with full hook-ups“ and you get two results.
The first result, you:
- Click on the link
- Go to the homepage
- Scroll down to find the facilities section
- Click the link
- Arrive at the facilities page
- Read the list to see if the park has full hookups
A total of 6 steps to find the information that you were looking for.
Alternatively, on the 2nd search result link, you:
- Click on the link
- Scroll down to the facilities section
- Read the list to see if the park has full hookups
A total of 3 steps, and only 1 click. A 50% decrease in time spent finding what you wanted.
In this scenario, wouldn’t you likely just book with the 2nd park because it was fast and had information available?
I know I would.
Should I put all of my content on one single page then?
The answer is both yes and no for this one.
Obviously, including ALL of the information for your park on the homepage is going to simply be information overload. Visitors will arrive and have to read through so much to find what they’re looking for that you will actually just un-do all of the time-saving benefits that we’re trying to achieve here.
The best practice here is to first do some research and find out what your target market is searching for, and then based on this research design your site architecture and decide which information is best on what pages.
To continue on with our Austin, TX example, let’s say that after their initial research they find there are a lot of people searching for “Pet-friendly parks in Austin”. Well, based on this it would be a good idea to include a specific section or detail on your homepage about your park being pet friend (or not pet-friendly if that’s the case).
It’s important to point out that just including this new information on your homepage doesn’t mean that you should also have it on other areas of the site as well. Depending on your market research, it can also be very powerful to have dedicated pages on specific topics to boost your rankings, but that’s a whole new subject
.
Wrapping it All Up
Bringing it all together, we can pretty much sum things up here with a quick 3 step process:
- Do keyword/search research on your park area and market
- Determine what your ideal campers are looking for
- Include specific sections and details for these on your homepage (but don’t overdo it!)
Following this process will help users find the information they are looking for faster. All of this translates into 1 beautiful result:
Better User Experience = Higher Search Ranking
= More Traffic = More Bookings!!!
